Cross Country Set for Shacklette Invitational Saturday
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – Fresh off strong performances by several underclassmen in last week's season-opening Skyhawk Relays, the Merrimack men's and women's cross country teams will make the short trip to Manchester, N.H., to participate in the Shacklette Invitational hosted by Saint Anselm College on Saturday.
The women's race will begin at approximately 11 a.m., while the commencement of the men's race is slotted to start shortly after at noon.
The Warriors are coming off an impressive debut by a number of underclassmen last weekend, as the two women's relay teams placed fifth and eighth, respectively, in a 33-team field, while the men's teams finished in ninth and 10th place amidst a field of 25 teams.
The women's top team last weekend was comprised of freshman Kerry Phelan (Peabody, Mass.), senior Anne Bajor (Methuen, Mass.) and junior Brianna Devereaux (Londonderry, N.H.), and the mix of youth and experience surely paid off as indicated by the squad's fifth-place finish.
The men's top unit was a bit more youthful, as two newcomers – including true freshman Nick Christensen (Peabody, Mass.) and sophomore transfer Sherif Ali (Cliffside Park, N.J.) – teamed with veteran senior captain John Lawrence (Peabody, Mass.) to propel the squad to a ninth-place finish.
Several other new faces should factor in to Saturday's events, as well. On the men's side, freshmen Adam Gidley (Salem, N.H.) and Aaron Maurais (Hopedale, Mass.) competed last week, while on the women's side freshman Kristin Schmidt (Athens, Conn.) made her collegiate debut last Saturday, as well.
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